NATURE reserve RSPB Saltholme is expanding after taking over six extra hectares of land nearby to graze cattle.

The land near Billingham, Stockton has been leased from Sembcorp Utilities UK until 2106 with additional funding secured from the SITA Trust to build fencing to contain the livestock.

Emma Birnie, RSPB Saltholme’s estate manager, said: “This piece of land is like the final piece in a jigsaw. The new area buffers some land we already own, which is a designated Special Protected Area (SPA).

"This grassland means there is now enough pasture for us to graze cattle, which is essential to ensure the best management of the site.

"As the area is an SPA, the window of opportunity for doing work on the land is small. However what we have planned will make this site a haven for breeding birds like lapwing and water rail, pochard and the iconic great crested grebe.”

Dr Douglas Annan, senior vice president and site director of Sembcorp Utilities UK, said: “We were delighted to lease the land for such an environmentally important purpose.”